Contrasting Responses

The following was preached at Veedersburg and Hillsboro UMC on Sunday, January 3, 2010. The text for this week's message is Matthew 2:1-12.

Today is a very special Sunday in the life of the church. It is the Sunday when we remember the “wise men from the east” who come to worship Jesus. This is probably one of the most well known, and yet, least understood passages in all of Scripture. It’s least understood in the sense that we don’t necessarily know exactly what the story says, we just take the details for granted. We all know the story, or at least some version of it. I think this is one reason why it is so important for people to read through their Bibles this year.

Okay, pop quiz. Let’s see which story we know better. Rudolph is a what? (Reindeer) What color was Rudolph’s nose? (Red). Where did Rudolph live? (North Pole) Rudolph, Hermey the elf and Yukon Cornelius the prospector, go to what island? (The Island of Misfits Toys). Okay, good. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has been around since the mid-60’s, and I’m sure that many people here have seen it numerous times. We know that story. It sticks with us because we watch it nearly every Christmas.

Now, the wise men came from what direction? (east) Who is the first person that they go to see when they get to Jerusalem? (Herod) They are directed to go to what town by the chief priests and scribes? (Bethlehem) How many wise men were at the manger Okay, that last one was a bit of a trick question. Many may have thought that the right answer is “we don’t know,” and it’s true, we really don’t know how many of these men traveled from the east because the actual number is never given. We have assumed through the years that there were three wise men because of the gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh. But the truth is, Scripture doesn’t tell us how many were there. However, that’s not why it is a trick question.

It is a trick question because none of the wise men were at the manger. It takes us really reading the story to figure this out. There are two major clues that tell us that the wise men were not only not a part of the birth narrative, but that they didn’t even arrive until nearly two years after Jesus’ birth. Notice that Herod gets from the wise men the approximate time when the star first appeared, which is about when Jesus was born. He then tells them to come let him know when they find the child, so he can worship him as well. But when Herod realizes that they aren’t coming back, he has all the male children two years old and under killed. Do you really think Herod would have waited two years for the wise men to come back? We’ll talk about Herod a little more in a minute, but there is absolutely no way that he would have waited that long.

The second major clue that tells us the wise men weren’t at the manger is in verse 11. Let me read it again, it says, “And going into the house they saw the child…” Jesus wasn’t considered a baby at this point in Matthew’s narrative; he is a child. And they aren’t in the stable; they are in a house. And yet, there isn’t a nativity set out there that doesn’t have three wise men in it. It’s an important part of the story, but let’s make sure we get the story correct. Again, that’s a major reason why I want to challenge you to read through the Bible this year. You will begin to see things that you haven’t seen before and you will begin to understand things that you didn’t understand before. All because you took the time to read the book.

Now, I want to dig a little deeper into this story because there is always something that we can learn from even the most familiar of stories if we take a little bit of time to look at it a new way, or from a different perspective. What I’d like to do is take a look at the differences in the response of Herod and the Jewish leaders and the response that we see from the wise men. What should we expect, and what do we actually get? To begin, how about a little bit of background.

We know that the wise men are from the east. The word magoi was once used to refer specifically to priests and experts in the mysteries of Persia and Babylon. By the time the first century rolled around, this same term was used for people who engaged in a wide range of practices – astrology, dream interpretation, the study of sacred writings, the pursuit of wisdom, and magic. We can tell that these wise men were certainly men who studied the stars (because you don’t see the stars unless you look at them, and you don’t notice an unusual occurrence of a star unless you are familiar with them), and we can also assume that they may be familiar with some of the ancient writings of the people of Israel. Now, why would we assume that? Because of what they say in verse 2.

When say that they saw his star when it rose, it is possible that they are referencing the final oracle of the pagan prophet Balaam, which can be found in Numbers 24. It says, “a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed.” (Num 24:17-18). More on Edom in a bit, but I do want to point out that Seir is an alternative name for Edom.

It appears as though these wise men are familiar with either the writings of the people of Israel, which they would have received while the Israelites were in exile in Babylon (500 years before these events took place), or that they were familiar with the oracles of the prophet Balaam directly. Either way, they were not strangers to this particular oracle. As people who watched the skies, something like a star rising out of the west would have also been significant enough to catch their attention. And it must have been something because if they came via the established trade route from Babylon, it would have been an 800-mile journey.

The other main party in this story is Herod and the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem. First off, a few words about Herod. Herod was actually not Jewish. He was an Idumean, which was the Greek term for Edomite. Now, Edom was a nation that was on the southern border of Judah. Its descendents were from Esau, Jacob’s brother. The strife between these two brothers, which you’ll read about over the next week or so if you’re following the reading plan, starts to come back into focus here, even if it is in just a subtle way. Herod, a descendent of Esau, is being told that the king of the Jews, the descendents of Jacob, was born.

Herod was not known for treating threats to his thrown with kindness. Herod was placed as king of Judea by the Roman Emperor, which explains why he was king in Judea in spite of the fact that he wasn’t Jewish. Herod ruled firmly and ruthlessly. In order to keep his power, he murdered his own wife, several sons and other various relatives. He may have been called Herod the Great, but there wasn’t much about him that was great. He was known as a master builder. He oversaw numerous projects in the region, and he even restored the Temple. But let’s not forget, it wasn’t out of devotion to God that he did these things. He did them because they served his purposed in some way.

When Herod gets word from these wise men that the king of the Jews was born, he would have been listening very intently. Remember the oracle of Balaam that brought the wise men to the area? The one that said a star and scepter, items that represent kingship, would rise out of Israel and Jacob; the one that said Edom would be displaced? Well, guess who was sitting on the throne at the time – an Edomite. Herod hears that this oracle is coming to pass, and he is starting to get a little worried about his power. He wants to know where this threat to his reign is located because he wants to take care of it.

Did you notice Herod’s initial reaction? He was troubled, and all of Jerusalem with him; it says it right there in verse 3. Those in power, those who stood to lose the most, those who did not want things to change because they liked the way things were, were troubled. And you almost can’t blame Herod for being troubled. I mean, he’s not Jewish. He is king of the area because Rome made him king. But “all of Jerusalem”? They should have been rejoicing.

According to their understanding at the time, this meant that the Messiah was coming; this meant that Israel would return to its glory days; this meant that things were looking up for the Jewish people! But they were troubled. Because things were going good for them; because things were going their way; because they were the ones that were in charge. And that wouldn’t be the case once the Messiah came.

This hits a little too close to home sometimes, doesn’t it? There are times in our lives when we like the way things are going. We would prefer to just “keep on keepin’ on.” The status quo has worked for us for this long, so what’s the big deal? God wants to do something incredible in your life, but that means it is going to take some significant changes, and maybe even some significant sacrifices. What are you going to say? “Nah. I’m good. I like the way things are going right now; there’s no sense in messing that up.”

How many of us settle for mediocrity when God has something in store for us that is far better than anything we could have ever imagined? God was bringing things together that would bring about a huge change in the way the world looked. But they were troubled. We shouldn’t see people being troubled when good news is being proclaimed.

We should be seeing the people rejoice. The birth of the Son of God should have been news that was welcomed with open arms and cheerful hearts by the people of Israel. We should have seen the people traveling hundreds of miles, giving all they could, praising and worshiping God. But it’s not the Jewish people we see doing that; it’s the pagan wise men. These men who have no vested interest in the matter; these men who don’t even worship the God who is at work in the world; these men who are not direct descendents of Jacob; they are the ones who worship the Son of God.

I love what verse 10 says, and it stands in amazing contrast to the response of the Jewish leaders. It says, “When they saw the star [the star that had brought them all this way and finally brought them to the house of Mary and Joseph]; when they saw the star, they rejoiced.” Wait, that’s not all it said. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly.” There, there’s better. No, wait, there’s more. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” They rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

How many went to a New Year’s party last week? How many people saw 2009 off and welcomed 2010 in with a bang. I’m not going to ask you if you went crazy or anything like that, so stop worrying, but would you say that you rejoiced exceedingly with great joy? What about when the Cubs actually won a playoff series in 2003, or for those who like a real team, when the Cardinals won the Series in 2006? Did you rejoice exceedingly with great joy? Or when the Colts won the Super Bowl? Did you rejoice exceedingly with great joy? Do you do that every single time you stop and think about what it is that God has done for you? Do you do that when you stop to think about what God could do in our community with just a handful of people willing to reach out in His love?

These pagan kings worshiped the Son of God. They may not have worshiped the God of the Israelites; they probably worshiped their own gods, but they knew that there was something significant going on in this little boy. They knew that the world was going to be changed. They didn’t know how, but they knew something was up. They brought valuable gifts, gifts of incredible value, and the worshiped the Son of God.

Here’s another thing to think about as we look at this story too. What happens afterwards? We are told that the wise men were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod. They were more open to what God was telling them to do. We think that God only talks to those who are in some kind of special relationship with Him. But, I think, the only ones who hear God are those who are open to listening. The wise men were more open to the promptings of God. They heard God speak to them because they were willing. Herod’s response? Not so much.

We didn’t read about it today, but we have talked about it a little this week and a couple weeks ago. Herod realizes that they aren’t coming back and slaughters an entire town’s children. I think we could say that Herod was just as closed off as ever to what God was doing. And see, that’s our choice. Now, we may not go to the extremes of killing a bunch of toddlers, but we can be just as closed off to what God is doing. We can be just as destructive in trying to get things to go our own way. What God was doing was so huge that it was going to upset the established order. We can decide to let it happen and praise God in the midst of the confusion, or we can fight it. Who are you going to be like when God decides it is time to do something drastic your life? Are you going to fight it, or are you going to embrace it?